Series - Editorial Fellowship: Transforming Funding Models

Full data: In 2020, which charities got the most donor advised fund grants from the country’s largest DAF foundations?

Author Gabe Oatley
In 2020, just 1 per cent of charities had revenue of over $50 million. Yet, in that year, 37 per cent of donor advised fund grants from the country’s five largest secular community foundations flowed to these charities and 27 per cent of grants from five of the country’s largest commercially-affiliated DAF foundations did too.

Why It Matters

Donation patterns are changing. Affluent Canadians are increasingly giving through donor advised funds. Which organizations DAF holders are choosing to give to will influence which charities have the necessary funds to fulfill their objectives.

This journalism is made possible by the Future of Good editorial fellowship covering the social impact world’s rapidly changing funding models, supported by Future of Good, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada. See our editorial ethics and standards here.

In Canada, affluent donors are increasingly giving through donor advised funds. By 2026, charitable assets held in donor advised funds are expected to reach $10 billion, according to research conducted by Investor Economics. 

For the second half of the 21st century, Canada’s community foundations were the obvious choice for donors looking to establish DAFs. But today, there are a number of new options, including a cohort of fast-growing

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